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Question: With my Mother's permission, I wanted to drop out of school, but they did not allow me to. I asked them to call my Mom and they said 'NO' go to class.

Answer: Arizona law (ARS 15-803) states that 'It is unlawful for any child between six and sixteen years of age to fail to attend school during the hours school is in session.' So, a kid must be over 16 years of age to legally drop out of school.

However, there are some exceptions to this rule (ARS 15-802). If a kids is 16 or under, he can legally not attend school only if he and his parents prove to the school's principal that:

1. The child is in such physical or mental condition that instruction is inexpedient or impracticable.

2. The child has completed high school studies necessary for completion of grade ten.

3. The child is over fourteen years of age and is, with the consent of the person who has custody of him, employed at some lawful wage earning occupation.

4. The child is enrolled in a work training, career education, vocational or manual training program which meets the approved standards

5. The child is either: (a) Suspended and not directed to participate in an alternative education program. (b) Expelled from a public school.

7. The child is enrolled in an education program provided by a state institution.

Special Thanks to the Arizona Department of Education for assistance answering this question.
Comments
31 thru 35 of 40 comments
On 07/17/03
stef from AZ said:
To Sneed from FL: I believe that dropping out of school doesn't automatically make you a 'low life looser'. In fact people who cannot even spell 'loser' should not bother judging others so quickly.
On 05/02/03
Joey from AZ said:
Compulsive education is dead wrong and has absolutely no founding in our Constitution and the Bill of Rights (Al Sharpton wants to make education a "right"). Dropping out is not only for "losers" but also many people that have the sense that public education is pathetic at best. Heck, many of the people that shaped our world (Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein) never went to school or dropped out. Are they "losers"? Just because you have been shoved through 12 years of menial drudgery does not mean that you are fit nor successful. Oh, and about the whole High School to College theory, it seems
On 03/23/03
Katey from FL said:
I think it is better to drop out of school as long as you get your GED. You can get your GED in 2 months so its easy to get that then go though 4 years of high school if you can just do it in 2 months. A GED is just as good as a diploma and you can still go to collage.
On 02/24/03
Michelle from MI said:
So when that child is out of work at age 12 and they've dropped out of school, you want to pay their welfare? A child's only job is to go to school. If your having problems there are tutors and additional help. There should be no reason that a child can't graduate besides a mental condition or something preventing you. Every person needs their deploma to at least be something in life. "Do you want fries with that?"
On 01/20/03
Jillian from AZ said:
I think that if a student is struggling in school and there are other options such as GED if u don't want to go to college then u should be able to make your own choice to drop out of school. Anyways, even if you do get your GED, then after that you can go to a community college, and even go to a university after that for 2 years. I think that somebody should drop if they are having major problems in school and cannot graduate in time, then they should be able to wanna try and get their GED and try in life, because if you do drop highschool, you can fall back on something but only if you try
31 thru 35 of 40 comments


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